Déjà Vu
by Agila
Summary: Mayuzumi Chihiro was just an ordinary boy, nothing about him stood out. Everything changed when a certain redhead approached him. *contains SPOILERS*
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Kuroko no Basket and any characters in it.

 _Prologue: Basically a written summary of how Akashi and Chihiro met._

 _I_ _didn't need basketball._ I kept repeating the words in my head in a pathetic - and useless - attempt to convince myself that I didn't care. About quitting basketball that is. I sighed, it's not like I was actually needed (or noticed) there in the first place. Perhaps I could've changed something had I practiced more?

I scoffed at myself and pulled out a light novel to distract me. Life was a bitch; there was no point in getting my hopes up and in the end having the said hopes crushed in the end. Honestly what was I thinking? With three of those uncrowned whatever's and that monster prodigy on the team, there was no way I could even hope to get on the bench. Besides, I should be focusing on grades and graduation-

"Are you Mayuzumi-san?"

The voice stopped my train of thoughts and made me look up from my novel. While the owner of the voice had bright red hair, what really stood out were his mismatched eyes. Two different shades of brown - one that was dark, almost _red_ even, while the other was a much lighter brown - were looking down and right at me. Speak of the devil, said prodigy was standing before me. Life really was a bitch wasn't it?

"How are you?", he asked after a few moments of not receiving a response.

I internally scoffed at the casualness of his tone. "...That's overly familiar of you. Shouldn't you say something along the lines of 'Nice to meet you' instead?", I stated with no emotion whatsoever, looking down at my book.

I looked at him from the corner of my eye and saw that he had this look on his face and his head was tilted a bit as if I said something stupid or something. After after awhile he broke the silence, "But up until the other day, we were in the same basketball club, were we not?".

Now that made me look up again. "You actually remember me? ...How rare.", I muttered the last part to myself more than anything. I paused for awhile before continuing, "There aren't much people who remember who I am..."

"Ah that's probably because... You remind me rather strongly of an acquaintance of mine.", his eyes dropped.

Before I could ask about it, he quickly changed the subject. "By the way, what are you reading?", he asked.

The look on his face... It looked as if his eyes had dulled after our previous topic. "...An L.N.", I said after a few seconds of trying to read his expression. "An 'L.N.'?", he asked, face still blank.

This kid is super weird. Well, at least he was trying to keep conversing. "A light novel. You've never read one before?", I asked holding the small book up for him to see.

"Are they interesting?", he took the book from my hand with a curious look. "Well, they're like normal short stories, their content isn't too heavy and you can read them at your own pace. There are some that you like and some you dislike, but if you like them, they're usually interesting.", I explained. To be honest, I feel like I just explained how people have different opinions. I mentally facepalmed.

Rather than making some sarcastic remark like I had expected him to, he looked more amused than anything and let out a soft 'hmph'.

Wait. Was he making fun of me?

"...Are you making fun of me because of what's on the cover?", I asked a 'bit' annoyed. I'm pretty sure this runt wouldn't approach a senior to judge what he liked reading, so why the hell was he talking to me?

Before I could tell him to cut to the chase and stop wasting my time, he spoke up. "No... I was just thinking that you really are quite similar to that acquaintance of mine."

"You just said that now, too...", I said, trailing off. Then I got a bit curious. "What was he like?", I asked.

"'The Phantom Sixth Man'. That was what he was called."

I was shocked to hear that. "Teiko Middle School's... So he wasn't just a rumour then...", I just sat there - still surprised and all - until I remembered what he mentioned earlier.

"We resemble each other?", I couldn't help but ask.

"Yes,", came his reply, "and the real reason I'm here is...", he looked at me directly in the eyes before continuing.

"Mayuzumi Chihiro, I want you to become the new 'Phantom Sixth Man'."

All I could manage was a dumb 'Huh?', before he continued explaining, "You possess the same qualities as him. If I were to oversee your training, you would develop the same abilities as him. I will initiate you in the same techniques, and then we'll tear up your resignation form.", he stopped to extend a hand to return my book before adding, "You'll be brought into the first string. How does that sound?".

The offer was extremely tempting. And I get to be in first string? I would've agreed instantly had I not thought about how unbelievable all of this sounded.

"...I refuse.", I simply said.

He looked genuinely surprised after that, and I went on, "I don't know what I seem like in your perspective, but I... really like myself.", and I don't need some title to prove that, I thought to myself.

I felt like I had to explain myself even more, so I kept going. "If the rumours are true, I heard that the 'Phantom Sixth Man' is a player that specialises in passing.", I looked away, "Just passing is boring. I don't think I'd like to play in a match if that's all I'd be doing."

"If I had to be that kind of specialist to play, then I'd rather prefer to stay useless. After all, that's just the kind of guy I am. If I don't find any enjoyment in playing, then it's absolutely meaningless for me to go back to basketball.", I finished. I don't know why I had to explain how I felt to some stranger - not a complete stranger though - but I felt like I had said the right thing.

I met his gaze again, and saw his eyes had widened from what I had said, but something felt off. I heard him release a small laugh that made my own eyes go wide.

What was with this guy? The atmosphere around him suddenly...

"Interesting.", he started, "From the start, I didn't intend for you to have the exact same skills.".

"I am all the more pleased with you. Someone like you can become a 'Phantom Sixth Man' that surpasses Tetsuya."

I was too confused to say anything else and I knew from that moment on that I had been played. How could I refuse an offer like that?

Looks like I won't be throwing my jersey out after all.


	2. Chapter 1: A Warm Welcome

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kuroko no Basket and any of the characters.

A/N: I don't really like how this chapter turned out. This is just a short one to show what Chihiro thinks of his teammates.

 _Chapter 1: A Warm Welcome_

"...and that will be all for today. Akashi, I assume you will be able to carry out the tasks required?"

I snapped back to reality when the coach stopped talking. I must've zoned out. Whoops.

"Of course, sir.", came the smooth reply of the redhead. The coach nodded at him and left, leaving only five people - including myself - in the gym. The five people part of the first string of the Rakuzan basketball club. Mayuzumi Chihiro of the first string. Heh. That had a nice ring to it-

"Good job on those passes today, buddy!"

I felt the wind getting knocked out of me as someone patted - no, _slammed_ \- his hand on my back. I turned my head a bit to see who did it. Of course, it was that idiot with a muscle for a brain, Nebuya Eikichi.

I just looked at him blankly and didn't say anything, knowing my façade would easily cover up my annoyance. He laughed and practically yelled at my ear, "Man, you're really uptight! Loosen up a bit, will ya?".

Before I could even open my mouth, another person started, "Nebuya, take it easy. You don't wanna scare him, right?". Scare me? That asshole. I've been part of this damned club longer than him. "But I do agree with him, you did do awesomely! Man, I almost didn't notice you were passing to me at that practice match! It was like you just appeared outta nowhere!", he exclaimed with excitement. The owner of that irritating and loud voice was Hayama Kotaro.

Tch. It wasn't like this the first time I stepped back into this gym.

 _I headed back into the gym with Akashi, after we went to the faculty to cancel my club resignation form. The coach gave Akashi a look and I knew that the guy was looking down upon me - underestimating me. My eyes dulled and I was practically fuming inside, but Akashi managed to convince the coach to tear up the small piece of paper. Although things didn't get better when we arrived at the gym._

 _'Yo Akashi, who is that guy? Why'd you bring him here?'_

 _'He doesn't look very awesome. In fact, he looks like an ordinary guy. What kinda skills does he have?'_

 _'Sei-chan, what were you thinking?'_

 __  
Just thinking about that pissed me off even more. I'm pretty sure I was glaring at nothing right now.

I looked when someone placed their hand on my shoulder. "Ugh, sorry about their yelling. They just don't know how to keep it down.", he said, in an attempt to lighten up the mood. He probably saw how tense I was. I wasn't really surprised, Mibuchi Reo was the most observant - and the most tolerable - one of the three.

"Hey what is that supposed to-"

"Enough.", a firm voice cut him off. We turned to the direction of the voice. It was our captain, Akashi Seijuurou. "I do not have time for useless chatter, so I will go straight to the point. I will be handing each of you copies of the schedule for practice matches tomorrow. Do not forget to pass by the gym early,", he paused, giving Nebuya a stern look, "or else you will not receive one. Is that understood?"

"Yes.", we said in unison.

"Good. I shall see you all tomorrow then.", and with that, he turned and walked out of the gym, leaving the four of us in silence.

"... Damn. He sure takes things seriously...", Hayama broke the silence after a few seconds. I raised a brow at how uncharacteristically down he sounded, but then he lit up immediately and continued, "But that also makes him such an awesome captain! He's so good at everything!

"Right? I don't understand how a freshman like him could be so talented!", Reo couldn't contain his thoughts and the tense atmosphere was lifted.

I decided that I didn't want to listen to this any longer and stepped out of the court unnoticed.

I pulled out a light novel - the sequel to 'Cat Girl', the one I finished just recently - and started to walk to the gates of the school (after freshening up of course, wouldn't want to walk around in some sweat soaked jersey). I wasn't paying attention to where I was heading, until I bumped someone.

"Oh, excuse me.", I said, looking at the person. Shit. I just bumped into mister perfect captain.

"Oh, it's quite all right.", he said politely, looking at me in the eyes. His tone sounded polite, but the look he gave me showed his annoyance. "Do try to look at where you go, reading while walking isn't very practical, Mayuzumi-san.", he added, sounding a bit amused. Amused? I looked at where his eyes were focused on and saw him staring at my book - or what was on the cover.

Of course. He was judging my book by the cover again.

"Sorry.", I simply said, intending to leave before I 'accidentally' hit this brat. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

"Mayuzumi-san,", he called, "it has been a week since I've stopped supervising you, I wanted to ask how your training was going. Do you have a few minutes?"

This day just kept getting shittier by the minute. But obviously, I couldn't say no to the captain. After all, he was the one who brought me back to basketball... And to those plastic bastards I call teammates.

"Yeah. What did you want to know about?", I asked plainly. I wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible - I was never a people's person after all.

"You seem to be drastically improving, your reflexes are much quicker and you know when to change the course of a pass.", he paused before adding, "However, there is something that I've noticed when it comes to you playing.".

I stayed silent, waiting for him to continue.

"You do not synchronise with your teammates."

I didn't synchronise with my teammates? "Uh, could you elaborate?", I asked, a bit confused.

He made eye contact with me and continued, "You do not adjust your strength when passing to specific individuals. In fact, they have to adjust to your passes. That could ruin momentum during an actual match."

I looked down in thought. I didn't really think about that, to be honest.

"Perhaps this has something to do with them personally?"

Oh. That must've been the reason why I've never stopped to think about that. My teammates were assholes, no doubt about it.

"...I see.", he said after I didn't respond. "Well, I do understand that our teammates could be a bit... Insensitive, but in basketball, you shouldn't let anything get in the way of winning. If you allow emotion to overtake you, it will cloud your better judgement."

"I understand.", I finally said. I guess I'm gonna have to play nice with my teammates from now on. No way in hell will my immaturity be the cause of a loss.

"Good. Do not disappoint me, Mayuzumi-san.", he said and left me alone to my thoughts.

...Did I just get lectured by a freshman? When did my life get so pathetic?


	3. Chapter 2: The Worst

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kuroko no Basket and any characters.

 _Chapter 2: The Worst_

You know that feeling?

When you get home all tired and exhausted from school and practice, then get cosy on your soft bed, only to have some bastard call you because they forgot to copy notes?

Yeah, apparently some dude from my class - who I have never spoken to in my entire life - phoned me for some notes, thus effectively ruining 'me time'.

 _"Uhm. Is this... Mayuzumi Chihiro?"_ , the other voice on the line asked, hesitating.

"Yes,", I replied flatly. _'Why would you ask if you know my fucking number'_ , I wanted to add. "And who is this?"

 _"O-oh, it's your classmate."_ , he stuttered. _"Nomura? Nomura Sota...?"_ , he said, trailing off. The tone of his voice irritated me even more. Was he asking a question or answering one?

"So, is there something you need?", I asked, unamused. I wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible.

 _"Hm? Oh, that's right! I was wondering if you could share some of your notes with me? I couldn't contact my friends and I saw your number on the class directory..."_ , he said, before quickly adding, _"But I uh, hope I'm not interrupting anything though!"._

"What topic did you miss?", I sighed through the small, grey device, hoping that he would realise he did, indeed, interrupt something. He interrupted my peace and quiet.

I stared at the ceiling waiting for his response, hearing faint scuffling of feet and the sound of papers flying.

Just as I was thinking of how I'd snap at some point, I heard his voice on the phone again.

 _"I think I'm missing a few notes on... Uh, that one topic in precalc, Loga..."_ , he trailed off, attempting to recall the name of the topic.

"...rithm. Logarithm", I finished for him and repeated the word, deadpan.

After a boring half hour of dictating notes on math, we were finally finished, and I was more than eager to hang up.

 _"Thanks man, you're a life saver."_ , he said, sighing in relief.

"No problem, if that's all you need-"

 _"Wait! Don't hang up yet."_ , he hastily cut me off. I had to bite back a groan.

"What now?", I asked, exasperated. I was so tempted to snap my phone shut right now, but I held back and waited, feeling my patience thinning.

Thankfully, he got the message and immediately spoke up, _"A freshman approached me today. He had bright red hair and his eyes were differently coloured. Probably has heterochromia."_ , he explained.

Oh, it was Akashi. What the hell did that brat want now?

He continued, _"He asked if I was a third year. Then he asked if I knew you and if I could tell you that he needed to..."_ , he paused, as if he was looking for the right words.

 _"See how you were doing?_ ", he finally said, a bit confused.

"Excuse me?", I was pretty sure I didn't hear that right.

 _"Look, I don't know either, but he said it was club related and important. He said to meet him at the gym in..."_ , he paused again, probably checking his watch, _"10 minutes?"_.

Well, at least this explained why that guy called him out of all his other classmates on the directory.

I sighed for about the twentieth time today, and muttered an 'Okay, thanks' before hanging up.

There go my hopes of relaxing with a light novel.

Everything was fine. I was already a few steps away until I reached Rakuzan. Not like I was soaking wet or anything from the rain that decided to pour down from the sky.

Yup, everything was fine here.

I swore that when I saw that little shit, I would punch him in the goddamned face.

When I arrived at the gym, - still wet and cold and all - I saw the redhead shooting a three-pointer. Hmph. Not bad.

He walked a few steps to pick the ball up, not noticing me at all. _'Surprise, surprise'_ , I thought, unamused. As much as I wanted to step in the gym and punch him, I didn't want to wet the floor (and possibly slide).

Instead, I cleared my throat and he looked at my direction. He dropped the ball and walked towards me to greet me. He raised a brow and said, voice practically dripping (no pun intended) with amusement, "Hello, Mayuzumi-san.". I faintly heard something that suspiciously sounded like laughter.

Was he- was that little shit laughing?

I didn't even try to mask my anger anymore.

"Hello, captain.", I said, totally serious and monotone despite the look on my face. "I got the message from Nomura, what did you need me here for?"

I was actually impressed that I had the willpower to keep my voice neutral even after all the shit I went through today.

"Ah, yes.", the bastard started casually. As if this was no big deal, as if we were just casually chatting- as if I wasn't standing outside soaking wet and cold as fuck. "But first, I will lend you a towel. I've got a spare one in my bag.", he smirked before adding, "Unless of course, you would prefer to stand there instead?"

"Very funny, captain.", I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes.  
When he handed me the towel, I wanted nothing more than to wipe that smug smile off of his face. When I was somewhat dry (I tried my best), I walked into the court and looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to start speaking.

"I would ask how you were doing, but it seems like you don't want to waste any more time."

"No shit...", I muttered.

"Pardon?"

"Nothing."

"Anyway,", he eyed me before continuing, "I've received a complaint from one of your teammates, specifically Kotaro."

Hayama? That loud mouth?

"He said that you weren't 'hitting the ball right when passing to him'. It tended to go out of bounds more often than not, according to him.", he paused, making eye contact. "As you know, I couldn't attend practice today, so I would like to know what happened.", he finished.

Right. The initial cause of my terrible mood was what happened earlier today.

I sighed, and started, "You told me that my problem was 'synchronising with my teammates', so I tried to watch their movements and adjust accordingly. It was going well until..."

"Until?", he asked when I stayed silent.

"Until I couldn't read Hayama's movements.", I admitted.

Honestly, it was really pathetic that my own teammate was too fast for me to watch. As much as I hated to admit it, I could barely keep up with him.

I mentally prepared myself for another damned lecture when he stopped smiling.

"It seems like I have overestimated you. I cannot leave you to practice on your own yet. I will start supervising your training again."

I clenched my fists. I wanted to say something, anything that could change his mind, but couldn't. He was right, I was just a normal guy; I didn't have natural talent nor quick learning skills.

"However, do not let this deter you.", he started, "I will bring out the best of you. I will help you perfect your techniques. After all, I am always right."

Right. This kid was a prodigy after all... I just hope that I could manage whatever hell he brings me.

...

Man, this day was absolute shit.


End file.
